Three Little Words
by Liselle129
Summary: When Chad makes an accidental admission, it leads to awkwardness, but will it end up pushing them apart or bringing them closer together? Takes place between Falling for the Falls and Sonny with a Secret.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Sonny With a Chance belongs to Disney.

Author's Note: This is sort of a sequel to "Facing the Music," but I'm trying to write it so that you don't have to read that first. However, I do reference the events of that story occasionally, so it has more levels if you're following along.

**Confession**

It was a beautiful California morning, and Sonny Munroe was in the _Mackenzie Falls_ make-up room with Chad Dylan Cooper. It had become sort of a routine, since their first completed date just over two weeks earlier, that she'd seek him out at the beginning of each workday, and they'd chat for a little while. Chad was still leery of approaching the prop house. This was due both to the habit the rest of the Randoms had of teasing him mercilessly and the fact that a framed picture of him throwing up water on Sonny was prominently displayed. He would, however, sometimes stop by Sonny's dressing room. With only Tawni and Zora as the other potential occupants, the atmosphere wasn't so bad. Zora was hardly ever there, and even if Tawni was, she was usually too busy looking into her mirror to pay any attention to anyone else.

"Well, I need to get back to _So Random_," Sonny announced as their conversation wound down.

"Yeah, I should get to work, too," Chad agreed. He gave her a hug.

"Have a good day," she wished him cheerily, giving a little wave as she turned to go.

"You too. I love you," he responded. They'd each taken about two steps away from each other before it sank in what he'd just said.

_No. I did _not_ just…_ he thought desperately, blue eyes widening with alarm. Maybe he'd imagined it? Maybe she hadn't heard? Unfortunately, he heard her footsteps come to an abrupt stop behind him.

"Did you just say what I think you said?" she asked, and when he turned around to face her again, he couldn't read her expression.

_Okay, yes_, he thought. _Yes, I did_.

"I…um…" he floundered.

"That's what I thought you said," Sonny interrupted, taking a tentative step forward. She didn't need him to confirm it in so many words. Chad Dylan Cooper only got tongue-tied when he'd accidentally revealed a little too much about himself. She knew him well enough to realize that with him, the lies came smoothly; it was the truth that could be rough.

"Look, I'm sorry," he said quickly. "It just slipped out. I mean, I know it's too early. Of course I know that. Why wouldn't I know that?" He was babbling. Sonny was the only person in the world that could make him babble and act like a fool. At the same time, he still wanted to be with her more than anyone else. It was quite the conundrum. Her brow furrowed.

"Well…did you mean it?" she countered, and he hesitated. The lie would have been easy. How many times had he said those words because a script told him to? He could just say it came naturally, and it didn't have to mean anything.

But somehow, he just couldn't. Looking into those big, brown eyes, he couldn't bring himself to take the easy way out. Whatever the consequences, he had to tell the truth.

"Yeah," he admitted quietly.

"Okay, then. I…" Sonny trailed off, shaking her head. "I have to go. See you later."

"Yeah, later," Chad agreed, but he felt a sinking feeling in his stomach as he watched her walk away.

_Stupid, stupid!_ He chastised himself. _How could you make that kind of mistake?_ After all, he was a professional actor. He knew when to say his lines, and, almost as importantly, when _not_ to say them. He was afraid that he had completely screwed this all up.

It had been clear to Chad almost from the beginning that if he wanted to keep this relationship with Sonny going, it was largely going to be his responsibility. _Sonny_ had been the one to cancel their date within an hour of agreeing to it. _Sonny _had been willing to call it quits after the first, aborted date because he said he didn't want to be seen with her. He had to be very careful, at least until she was as committed to this as he was. If that was even possible.

No; he had to stop thinking that way. Of _course_ it was possible; he was _Chad Dylan Cooper_.

The fact remained, however, what he'd just been was the opposite of careful. Somehow, he had to find a way to fix this.

He was a consummate professional, so by the time he reached the set for today's filming, he'd put Sonny out of his head and was completely ready to immerse himself in the role of Mackenzie.

And if he said "Sonny" instead of "Chloe" once or twice, well, that's what film editors were for.

* * *

Sonny was ashamed to admit that she tried to avoid Chad for most of the day. It wasn't that she didn't want to see him – at least, not exactly. It was just that she didn't know what to say, or what he expected her to say. A part of her told her she was being silly, that the best way to get over this awkward episode was to talk to him about it. That was probably true, but she was still nervous about facing the situation head-on, so she put it off.

She could no longer evade him when it was time for their afternoon classes. Chad slipped into the seat next to her and leaned her way.

"Are you mad at me?" he whispered.

"No! Of course, I'm not mad," she assured him. "I just…need a little time to think. Okay?"

"Yeah, of course," he responded, and though his arrogant, flippant manner was back, she swore she could see him withdraw into himself a little. Sonny inwardly winced at the thought that she'd hurt him, however accidentally. At that point, the teacher came in, effectively ending the conversation.

Sonny wasn't able to focus very much on the lessons, but she'd always been a good student, so she hoped that one day's inattention wouldn't hurt her studies too much. She stopped Chad before he could leave.

"Come to my dressing room in two hours," she invited him. "We should be done with our day by then." He nodded acknowledgement and went his way.

* * *

Chad was definitely nervous as he raised his hand to knock on the dressing room door. Obviously, Sonny wanted to talk to him privately about what he'd said this morning, but what was she going to say? Would she break up with him? Just say that things were moving too fast? Or would she, wonder of wonders, actually say she loved him, too?

_Enough daydreaming, Cooper_, he thought sternly, and he knocked sharply, struggling to regain his poise. Sonny opened the door, looking her usual cute self, and ushered him in. They just remained standing silently for a moment, staring at one another.

"So…" they both said at the same time, eliciting a giggle from Sonny and a sheepish grin from Chad.

"You wanted to talk?" he invited, hating how cliché the words sounded.

"Right," she said, shifting her weight nervously. "I really hated the way I left things this morning. I mean, I'm sure that wasn't quite the response you were hoping for."

"I wasn't hoping for anything," Chad replied earnestly. "I told you, it was a mistake to say it. I didn't mean to tell you like that."

"The thing is, we've only been going out two weeks," said Sonny, still feeling the need to explain herself.

_Two weeks, three days, and almost 21 hours_, Chad amended internally. _But who's counting?_

"We've had all of four dates," Sonny went on. "You haven't even kissed me yet!" Truthfully, she was a little bit miffed about that last part. After all of his boasting, he hadn't even made an attempt. What was the matter with the boy? Or was there something wrong with her?

"Maybe that's because the last time I tried, you made me kiss a pig!" he retorted.

"Yeah, that was pretty funny," Sonny laughed at the memory. When she caught Chad's expression, however, she quickly sobered. "Um…sorry about that. But that was totally different! We weren't dating, and…and you were getting in my head."

"Really?" He raised his eyebrows. "And here I thought you were immune."

"Not immune, just resistant."

Chad couldn't help but grin a little at that. So his perfect record had not been marred after all; he _had_ been getting to her. Although she'd been so afraid of him that she'd stuck a pig in his face. How was he supposed to interpret _that_?

"So…it's not because you didn't want to kiss me?" asked Sonny carefully.

"Of course not!" he exclaimed, honestly shocked. "How could you even think that? I just wasn't sure how you do things in Wisconsin."

"I'm not sure why that should matter. We're in California."

"Still, I didn't want to offend you or anything." He took her hands in his and gazed adoringly into her face. "You mean a lot to me, Sonny."

Sonny felt her insides melting at the face that had made _Mackenzie Falls_ the most popular tween drama on television. He really did have a lot to be cocky about - not that she would tell him that. His ego was big enough already. In any case, his words reminded her of the seriousness of the thing they were here to discuss.

"For your information, I'd have let you kiss me after the _third_ date," she informed him, trying to be nonchalant as she worked out a way to get back on topic.

"Well, that would have been nice to know," he responded, thinking of all the missed opportunities. He wondered if he should go for it now but decided against it. So soon after his confession, it would just be too awkward. He needed to wait until the moment was right.

"The point is, I appreciate how you feel, but I'm just not there yet."

"But you might be eventually?" he asked hopefully.

"Maybe. I mean, you don't really plan these things, you know?"

"Tell me about it." Chad certainly had never expected to fall for a Random from Wisconsin, after all. Talk about a bolt from the blue! "I completely understand. It's not like there's a rule that we both have to be at the same place in the relationship at every moment, right?"

"I guess not." Sonny looked relieved, and Chad did his best to put a positive face on for her.

"Fine," he said impishly.

"Fine," she played the game readily enough.

"Good."

"Good."

"So we're good?"

"We're so good," she agreed, hugging him enthusiastically. "Well, I should get home before my mom gets worried."

"Yeah, you should. We're still on for tomorrow night, right?"

"Definitely. Thanks for understanding." Sonny flounced out the door, leaving Chad alone.

Chad sank into a chair, allowing his brave façade to crumple. Even though he had not really expected her to return his feelings at this point, he couldn't help feeling a little hollow. Making light of the situation during their talk had been one of the most difficult things he'd ever done, but it had also been necessary. He wanted very much to keep Sonny in his life, and he was willing to wait for her to catch up. He didn't want to scare her away. He heaved a deep sigh. After all of the love situations, requited and unrequited, he'd been in as Mackenzie, he'd thought he understood this romance thing. He was discovering, however, that his imaginings while getting himself into character had not even come close.

"I understand," he repeated to the empty room. "But it still hurts."

* * *

Zora, lurking in the air vents, had listened to Sonny and Chad's conversation with a great deal of interest.

_Trouble in paradise?_ she wondered, chewing her lip in thought. She wasn't sure what, if anything, she should do about the situation. Despite thinking they were alone, the couple had been somewhat oblique about what was going on, although the fact that they hadn't kissed yet was interesting all by itself. Zora's first impulse was to tell the others about that, but when she peered down at Chad, looking so uncharacteristically dejected, she changed her mind. She still wasn't crazy about the guy, but for some reason, this just wasn't striking her as funny. Perhaps a little of Sonny's righteous tirade had sunk in. She'd berated the other Randoms forcefully for teasing Chad about throwing up on their first date, and ever since, making fun of him hadn't held the same charm as it once had.

Zora waited until she was sure Chad was gone before she worked her way out of the vents and exited the building. She decided to simply watch those two and see what happened. She was aware that it was a mistake to act or jump to conclusions before you knew all of the facts. That Sherlock Holmes convention couldn't come soon enough; she was very much in need of some help with her deductive reasoning skills.

* * *

Author's Note: Sorry the ending's a little abrupt. I'm realizing that this sounds a little like the plot to an episode from The Big Bang Theory, but it's not like this sort of thing doesn't happen in real life.

Just to give you an idea where I'm going with this, from the way Chad was talking to his reflection if FftF Part 2, I got the impression that he'd never been on a serious date before. I'm sort of taking that concept and running with it. He also got pretty possessive after she agreed to a single date.


	2. Perspective

Disclaimer: Sonny With a Chance belongs to Disney.

Author's Note: Sorry about the long delay, but as my regular readers know by now, I spent a week in Disney World. Then I owed my Kim Possible fans another chapter of that story first, so anyway, here we are at last!

**Perspective**

Sonny thought everything between her and Chad was pretty well smoothed over after their conversation, although she expected that things might be a little awkward for a while. Unfortunately, the ride home gave her entirely too much time to think and begin to second-guess herself.

What if she would never actually fall in love with him? Was it really just a matter of time before she caught up, or was she simply not as into him as he was into her? Could that change? She did enjoy being with him, and she was coming to care for him. Still, if she'd never be able to call it love, would it be kinder to let him go now rather than stringing him along indefinitely? And how would she know?

Sonny was so absorbed in her thoughts that she nearly missed her stop. She forced herself to focus on her route back to her apartment, but once there, she lapsed once more into distraction. It was while she was stirring her dinner around on her plate with a fork, having eaten very little, that her mother decided to question her behavior.

"What's the matter, Sonny?"

Sonny jumped, quickly shoving a bite of food into her mouth and taking the time to chew and swallow before answering.

"Wrong? Who said anything was wrong?" she tried to play it off, but Mrs. Munroe wasn't fooled. She didn't say anything but gave her daughter the "mom" look that said it all. Sonny sighed and gave in.

"It's…well, it's about Chad," she began awkwardly, wondering how to explain this. She decided she might as well just blurt it out. "He told me he loves me."

"Oh, my gosh!" Mrs. Munroe exclaimed, sliding her chair around so she was sitting closer to Sonny. "This is so exciting! Mackenzie's in love with my daughter!" Sonny rolled her eyes, deciding not to bother pointing out that Mackenzie and Chad were not the same person. It was ground they'd covered before, and at least her mom wasn't completely confusing storylines and accusing her of stealing Mackenzie from Chloe.

"Yeah, but I don't love him back," Sonny explained. "It makes things kind of weird."

"I see," said Mrs. Munroe, visibly switching gears from the fangirl to the much more helpful motherly persona. "Well, how _do_ you feel about him?"

"I like him, of course. Well, when he's not being a jerk. Which he seems to be less of around me, now that I think about it." Supper forgotten, Sonny stood up and began pacing. "It's just a big adjustment for me. I mean, a few weeks ago, I hated him, and now he's using the 'L' word on me? What am I supposed to do with that?"

"Did you hate him, Sonny? Did you really?" It sounded so much like something Chad would say that Sonny stopped in her tracks and nearly laughed. Instead, she reconsidered her statement.

"Okay, I suppose hate's a little strong," she conceded, slumping back into her chair. "He did have his moments. Like when he danced with me after the prom I set up and didn't get to enjoy, or the time he went on a fake date with me to get back at James, or how he organized the memorial service for Gassie because I was too distraught. Even if it _was_ tacky."

"And Gassie wasn't actually dead," Mrs. Munroe added.

"That, too." There was a pause.

"I wouldn't worry too much about it," her mom said at last, patting Sonny's hand reassuringly. "Boys fall harder than girls. And faster. Haven't I told you that?"

"No, I don't recall that particular lesson."

"Oh. Well, now you know. It can lead to some uncomfortable moments, but that's the way things are."

"Why?" Sonny's curiosity about this new piece of information was overriding her concerns over where the relationship might be going. "I mean, why are things that way? It doesn't make sense. Does it?"

"Personally, I think it's about balance."

"Balance?"

"Yes. Men, generally, get to be bigger and stronger than women, so they'd be complete tyrants if we didn't have some way of holding power over them. The tradeoff is that they get emotionally dependent sooner and tend to have a strong protective instinct. It all works out, most of the time."

Sonny chewed that over for a little while. As uncomfortable as it was to think about having that kind of power over someone, she had to admit that there was a certain logic to her mother's reasoning.

"So this is totally normal?" she asked finally.

"Totally," her mother agreed. "But in this case, I think there might be a little more going on."

"What are you talking about?"

"Well, do you remember when you told me about how he asked you out?"

"Of course." That had been another awkward evening, when she'd forbidden _Mackenzie Falls_ to be watched in the apartment – a ban that had ended just seconds later when Chad himself had appeared at the door.

"Can you remember the exact words he used?" Mrs. Munroe pressed. Sonny creased her forehead, thinking carefully.

"I think so," she replied. "Let's see; I was going on an on about the girl he was destined to be with and begging him to do something about it." Even thinking about it now, she was a little embarrassed by her effusiveness. "He asked how long I'd felt that way, and I said, 'Since yesterday,' and he said…oh, my gosh!" She broke off as the implications of that exchange sank in for the first time.

"What is it, Sonny?"

"He said, 'I guess I feel the same way,'" Sonny recalled, speaking slowly. "Only he thought I was talking about him and me, and I was talking about Mac and Chloe. That means…" she was still struggling with this. "That means that he thought we were perfect together, maybe even destined for each other." That revelation hit her like an avalanche.

"And I'm betting he's felt that way for quite some time," her mom murmured.

"So what do I do?" Sonny pleaded.

"Do? Why should you do anything?"

"I don't know. It just feels like I should do _something_."

"You asked my advice, so I'm giving it to you. Just enjoy being with him. I'm pretty sure you'll catch up to him emotionally soon enough. And even if you don't, you'll be making some great memories together. There's good to be found even in relationships that don't work out."

"Okay," Sonny agreed, realizing that she was hungry and finally feeling ready to stomach her dinner. "And Mom?"

"Yes, dear?"

"Thanks."

* * *

The next morning, Sonny went straight to Chad's dressing room and found him studying his script for the current episode. When she entered, he tossed it aside and stood up.

"Hey, Sonny," he greeted her, giving her a quick hug before inviting her to sit down.

"Actually, I'd rather stand," she replied. "I can't stay long, but I wanted to talk to you. I did a lot of thinking last night."

"So did I, and I have a couple of confessions I think I should to make to you." Chad leaned against the back of a chair in a casual pose.

"You do?"

"You first."

"Oh, okay. Well, I actually have a question for you. I thought back over the day you first asked me out, and I was wondering…how long you've felt this way about me." Sonny didn't think it would be the best idea to tell him that she'd been discussing their relationship with her mother, but this was something she really wanted to know. Chad chewed the inside of his lower lip. That was very distracting, and _really_ made Sonny want to kiss him senseless, but she restrained herself.

"How long have I been into you, or how long have I been…" he hesitated before finishing the question "…in love with you?"

"The second one, please." She was a little curious about the first one, too, but there would be time for learning all of that.

"I'm not sure exactly, but I'd have to say a few months," he admitted. "I first realized it the day James showed up, but I think it happened long before that."

"Wow, I had no idea!" Sonny exclaimed. That certainly put things into perspective, as well as giving her a general timeline of how far ahead of her he might be. Now, she felt she could relax and just let things unfold.

"Of course not," Chad stood up to his full height. "I _am_ the best actor of our generation." That title usually made Sonny laugh, but she decided to play along this time. She tilted her head thoughtfully and feigned a frown.

"That being the case, how do I know you're telling the truth now?" she asked innocently.

"I guess you'll just have to trust me."

"I'll work on that. Anyway, it's your turn."

"Right." He took a deep breath. "The thing is, before you, I'd never been on a real date before." Sonny stared at him incredulously.

"What are you talking about?" she protested. "You go out with girls all the time! The pictures have been all over the teen magazines for years, and I've seen your co-stars hanging on you."

"I know, but none of that was real. Every time I've been with a girl, it's been to help one of our careers…" He interrupted himself. "I mean, to help _her_ career, of course; mine has never needed any help." Sonny just crossed her arms and raised her eyebrows at him, and he took that as his signal to plunge ahead. "Anyway, it was either publicity or to have some arm candy for a red carpet or something. You're the first girl I asked out for no other reason than I wanted to be with you. Why do you think I was so nervous?"

"That does explain a lot," Sonny remarked, suddenly feeling a little bit sorry for him. It was the classic "poor little rich kid" story, when she thought about it. Chad had grown up with every luxury he could have desired, yet he'd lived his life in a fishbowl and had hardly any opportunities to make choices about what he wanted out of life. She was learning that his outward cockiness masked deep-seated insecurities. After all, how many 16-year-olds were in therapy? When you got right down to it, his sense of self-worth was mostly dependent upon the adulation of strangers. No wonder his image was so important to him.

"I believe you said you had two confessions," she prompted.

"Right. Well, the second one is kind of related to the first. I've never had a real kiss, either." He paused to let that sink in, and Sonny felt her eyes widen. "Sure, I've kissed lots of girls, but it was always professional. It was either in a script or for a photo op." He stood up straight then and took a step forward, putting himself within reach of Sonny. He slipped his right hand into her hair. "I've never kissed a girl just because I wanted to."

Sonny could feel her breath coming faster, and she felt the need to say something.

"Well, there's no time like the present," she remarked, hoping he would catch the clear invitation. She tilted her chin up as Chad leaned down, blue eyes reeling her in until they mercifully closed, his breath on her skin as her own eyelids fluttered shut…

A sharp knock sounded at the door, and the two teens sprang apart with alacrity.

"Chad Dylan Cooper?" came an officious voice, and the door opened, just slightly. "You're needed on the set."

"On my way," Chad replied coolly, although he did run a self-conscious hand through his hair. The door shut again, and he met Sonny's gaze. "Later," he told her quietly, and his eyes conveyed the promise that the one word implied. She could only nod dumbly as he grabbed his script and exited.

Grasping for the chair, Sonny sat shakily down, feeling like her knees wouldn't support her. Her heart was pounding, her breath was coming fast and shallow, and she was sure her body temperature was a degree or two above normal.

_If this is what an almost-kiss feels like, what's the real thing going to be like?_ she wondered. The thought was at once exciting, frightening, and confusing.

After a few minutes, she thought she felt normal enough to return to her own studio. There were sketches to be written and rehearsed, after all, and she would just have to put serious things like kissing out of her head and try to be funny.

Unbeknownst to Sonny, Chad was feeling a little shaky himself, but the frustration overwhelmed the shakiness. He finally had a golden opportunity, and it had to be interrupted!

_That__ couldn't have waited 30 more seconds_? he groused internally. At the moment, this just seemed like the last in a long string of things he'd had to put off for the sake of the career his parents had shoved him into almost as soon as he could talk. It was true that he enjoyed it now – usually – but that didn't change the fact that he'd not really been given a say in the matter. At this point, what else was he fit for? He hired people to do his homework for him, he hated reading, and acting was his only skill.

Clenching his fists and lengthening his stride, Chad made a conscious effort not to let the frustration build and transform into anger. It really wasn't worth the energy.

What finally tipped the scales against having a diva-class tantrum on the set was remembering that he and Sonny had a date for this evening. In fact, that would even be better for their first kiss. He could control the setting, the mood…

The smile returned to his face as the director in him saw the possibilities. One deep breath, and he felt ready for whatever the day might bring.

Just as long as it got over quickly.

* * *

Author's Note: Some of you are probably very frustrated with me at the moment (much as Chad is), so I'm sorry. It just wasn't time for them to kiss yet, but it will happen soon. I'm not really sure how much longer this story is going to be. Does anyone else think it's weird that we haven't seen them kiss in the show yet? Supposedly, it's going to happen in Tween Choice.

Thank you to Alyona77 and iLoveRomance2010 for reviewing Chapter 1. Thank you also to those of you who have the story on your Favorites and/or Alerts lists.


	3. Sunset

Disclaimer: Sonny With a Chance belongs to Disney.

Author's Note: I just want to say that I was completely blown away by the response to Chapter 2! There didn't seem to be that much interest in the first chapter, so the number of reviews on the second was a very pleasant surprise. Thank you, everybody! I'm also happy that many people seemed to enjoy the almost-kiss.

**Sunset**

"I can't believe you've been here almost a year and haven't seen a Pacific sunset yet," Chad commented as he drove westward, toward the ocean. While this fact did surprise him, he was actually pleased by it because it gave him the opportunity to provide Sonny with an experience that was both simple and unique. While he doubted that she would actively oppose such luxuries as were a part of his daily life, he'd noticed that she seemed to take extraordinary pleasures in the simple things of life. It was one of the things he found attractive about her.

"Things just always seem so busy," she explained. "I mean, I've been to the beach a few times, but just during the day to play and get sun and stuff. We never stayed until nighttime."

She'd been too busy to catch a sunset at the beach, but she'd visited Disneyland twice. Somehow, Chad wasn't surprised by that.

"Well, fall's the best time to do it," he said, and Sonny chuckled softly, unable to stop herself from wishing there was a container of liquid to throw at the word "Falls." Of course, she'd have to throw it on herself because she'd never want to disturb anyone while they were driving.

"What's so funny?" he demanded, and she saw no reason not to answer honestly.

"You said falls!" she replied brightly. He spared a sideways glance at her before returning his attention to the road.

"Really, Sonny? Really?"

"Force of habit," she said apologetically. "I'm really trying to work on it."

"Work harder," he advised dryly. For some reason, that set her off into another round of giggles.

"So why is fall the best time?" Sonny asked when she regained control of herself.

"The days are getting shorter, so the sun doesn't go down so late," he explained. "Plus most people are into their school year routine or whatever, and it's too early for northerners to come on vacation, so the beach isn't so busy."

"Sounds perfect," Sonny agreed, and they lapsed into a companionable silence for a while. "You know, I _have_ seen a sunset over Lake Michigan."

"Uh, I'm not big on geography, but I'm pretty sure Lake Michigan is east of Wisconsin, not west."

"Duh!" said Sonny, rolling her eyes. "We were on vacation in Michigan."

"There's a lake and a state with the same name?"

"You really aren't big on geography, are you?"

"Well, you know how I feel about school and reading," Chad pointed out.

"Yeah. That's another thing I'll have to work on."

"Oh, it's starting already?"

"What is?"

"Changing me." Chad paused. "Women are always trying to change their men into something else. At least, that's what I hear."

"I'm not trying to change you," Sonny protested, deciding to overlook the obvious stereotype. Besides, she was too inexperienced with relationships to have decided whether she resented or resembled that remark. "I just think it'd be good for you to expand your mind a little."

"Uh-huh," said Chad, as though he didn't quite believe it. He had to admit, if only privately, that she'd already succeeded in changing him in small ways. He found that he was not nearly as obsessed with his public image as he'd once been. Moreover, he cared a lot more about Sonny than he did about himself. He'd heard once that that was the definition of love. If so, he supposed he could take some comfort from the fact that he hadn't compounded his faux pas of saying "I love you" too soon with having it be a lie as well.

Still, it was unnerving to feel this way. Seeking more comfortable ground, he returned to an earlier topic.

"Well, there's no way a lake can compare with an ocean," he asserted.

"Of course not," Sonny replied cheerfully. "Lake water's fresh instead of salty, and there's no sharks."

"Pacific sunsets are better," he insisted stubbornly.

"Have you ever seen a Michigan sunset?" she challenged.

"Of course not."

"Then you don't know. I'll have to be the judge."

By the time they reached the beach, the sun was already low enough to be directly in their eyes. True to Chad's prediction, there were only a few scattered blankets, and most of the people who were there appeared to be packing up to leave. Chad squinted at the sun's angle.

"Looks like we've got a couple of hours before sunset," he remarked. "Plenty of time for a swim and some dinner."

"Can we eat first?" Sonny begged. "I'm starving!"

"You don't eat enough snacks at the studio?"

"I'm trying to watch my figure."

"That's my job now," Chad declared, being intentionally obvious as he scanned her body and enjoying the blush that rose to her cheeks when he returned his gaze to her face. "Looks perfect to me."

"Thanks," she muttered, avoiding his eyes as she picked up some blankets and towels from the car and strode off to the beach. Chad grinned, following her with a large cooler and a beach bag. Sometimes he wished she were a little more confident about her looks, but he realized that her self-consciousness was a part of her charm.

That gave him an idea. If he affected more humility, would he be more popular with the media and the fans of his show? He discarded the notion almost immediately. Chad Dylan Cooper was charming enough already. Besides, Sonny Munroe was now the only fan whose opinion really mattered to him.

Joining his girlfriend on the blanket she was spreading out, he began to unpack an impressive variety of food: chilled shrimp, cold chicken, bread, an array of salads and fruits.

"What, no lobster?" Sonny quipped, her eyes growing round as she watched the feast be revealed. Smirking, Chad pulled out a plastic container of real lobster meat, and Sonny laughed. "How about butter?" He produced that as well.

"It's pretty cold now," he said, setting it out. "The air's warm enough that it should soften pretty fast, though." Finally, at the bottom, there were a few canned beverages. Sonny took one and a plate (there were even real plates and cloth napkins), beginning to serve herself.

"You really went all out," she remarked.

"I don't believe in roughing it for the sake of a picnic," he declared loftily. "Anyway, nothing's too good for you."

"You're going to spoil me," she accused.

"That's the idea."

After eating, the pair cleaned up the remnants of their meal and just relaxed together for a while. As the sun drew lower, the air became cooler, and the wind started to pick up.

"We'd better get out there," Chad advised, standing up and removing his shirt. "The waves get bigger as the sun sets. That's great for surfers, but not always so great for swimmers."

Sonny was very willing to take his advice on this, so she removed her cover-up, allowing Chad to finally _really_ see her figure. She tried very hard not to feel shy about it. It wasn't as though she hadn't worn a swimsuit in front of total strangers before. Somehow, the situation just felt different with someone who'd only recently become her boyfriend.

Chad, for his part, did not disappoint her. He stood staring at her unashamedly for several, lingering seconds.

"You are incredible," he breathed. "Have I told you that?"

"A few times, maybe," Sonny blushed. She took a more guarded look at his body, which she'd never seen this much of, as they took off into the waves. Privately, she acknowledged that she liked what she saw.

Chad proved to be a very strong swimmer. Sonny was no slouch, but she'd clearly not spent as much of her childhood in the water as he had. While she occasionally missed the fresh smell and taste of the Great Lakes, she had to admit that the extra buoyancy of the salt water was nice. She really enjoyed jumping into the waves. It was also just amazing to think of the extremely varied ecosystem the ocean represented. She'd been affected by such things ever since she'd learned what an ecosystem was.

When the possibilities of the water had been exhausted, and the sun was glowing red near the horizon, they returned to their spot on the beach. By this time, the area was almost deserted. Allowing their skin and hair to dry in the breeze, Sonny and Chad sat side by side on the blanket, holding hands. Neither of them spoke as they watched the fiery ball slowly flatten and disappear from view. Both seemed to sense the inexplicable magic of the moment, and words would have ruined it.

Chad breathed a sigh when the last sliver was gone, and the only sign that the sun had moved to give light and warmth to another part of the globe was the reddish glow on the few, scattered clouds. This really had been the perfect evening, and he was justifiably proud of himself. He was only sad that it would soon be at an end. All that remained was to drive Sonny home before it got too late.

He turned toward his girlfriend to see her face shining with pure joy as she smiled at him. In the jaded, Hollywood world in which he'd spent most of his life, such innocent expressions were exceedingly rare. Seeing her like that, he fell in love with her all over again.

"You know, I think that _was_ better than a Lake Michigan sunset," she informed him. She tilted her head thoughtfully and added, in a playful tone, "It might be just the company, though."

Chad should have been ready with some witty rejoinder, but even if something had come to mind, he was sure he would have remained speechless. He could only stare at her, wondering what good deeds he'd ever done to deserve such a wonderful person in his life.

_Now, _whispered a small voice in his mind. Somehow, he knew exactly what that meant. Bringing up his free hand, he slid it into her hair and leaned forward. Maybe she sensed what was happening because he felt a slim hand slide around his neck.

Thankfully, there were no interruptions this time. Their mouths met in a first kiss that exceeded all of Chad's expectations. For perhaps the first time in his life, he allowed himself to truly get lost in a moment. He felt hyper-aware of everything: the wind in his hair, the smell of Sonny's skin underneath the salty covering, the taste of her mouth, the reassuring pressure of her hand on the back of his neck.

When they drew apart, as at some unspoken signal, he had no idea how long the kiss had lasted. It didn't look that much darker, so it couldn't have been long. They gazed at one another, smiling broadly.

"Definitely worth waiting for," Sonny murmured.

"Most definitely," Chad agreed. He regretfully shook off the spell. "I need to get you home before your mother forbids you to ever see me again."

"Don't be ridiculous; my mother loves you," Sonny waved off his concerns. "We should still get moving, though. We both need to be bright and energetic on the set tomorrow." They'd both arranged to have a late starting time for the next morning, but even so, getting enough sleep was important. Packing up their things, they returned to the car and headed out.

* * *

Author's Note: Okay, time for audience participation. What do you want to happen next? I was considering wrapping it up next chapter, but if you'd like to see a little more development, I'd be happy to consider ideas. Keep in mind that the longer I stretch this out, the more likely it is that I'll have to start acknowledging later episodes. Incidentally, shouldn't Chad be having another birthday pretty soon?

Review responses:

Thank you to Wisdomousgem, WolfLover314, PurpleConverse323, Alyona77, iLoveRomance2010, and chadsonville for reviewing Chapter 2. Thank you also to Imma Anna Bee for reviewing Chapter 1 after I posted Chapter 2.

Keirah: Yeah, I know what you mean. Although there are plenty of Sonny/Chad stories out there, you have to sift through a lot to find ones that are worth the time to read. I thought it made sense for them to be at different points in their relationship right now.

Blokken.: I'm not sure what you mean by disheartening, but it does seem to me that Chad's had a lot longer to develop his feelings for Sonny. She's attracted to him, sure, and she seems generally happy with him as a boyfriend, but he was such a jerk to her for almost a year that it's more adjustment for her.

Sparrow Logan: Well, thank you. Sonny being a little behind in falling in love seemed to match both her character and my own real-life experiences. The show can be incredibly silly, but I prefer to inject some realism when I write.

rorouni007: Thank you very much! I'm sorry for being cruel last chapter, but cliffhangers leave the readers wanting more, right?:) This should have been a much more satisfying chapter.

Summerlovrr: Yeah, Chad suffered a bit at my hands. He got a great night out of it, though!


	4. Sharing the News

Disclaimer: Sonny With a Chance belongs to Disney.

Author's Note: I'm really sorry about the long wait. Labor Day weekend kind of threw me off, and I've had a hard time focusing on my writing lately. I'm working on setting a schedule.

Is it just me, or does it seem like the episodes this season are being shown out of order? The Double Date episode ended on October 2, which should have been shortly before Sonny's homecoming in Sonny with a Secret. Also, Sonny said in Chad without a Chance that she wanted to get Chad spending more time with her friends, but he was already hanging around them quite a bit in prior episodes. It's confusing.

**Sharing the News**

The ride back into the city seemed somehow shorter than the trip out had been. Maybe that was because neither Chad nor Sonny was in a hurry to end the evening. Naturally, that made time go by unconscionably fast.

Chad walked Sonny all the way up to her apartment, and they paused at the door.

"Please tell me you won't make me scale the building again," he requested, and she smiled.

"No promises," she replied jokingly. She was keeping her voice as low as possible, knowing from experience that sound carried surprisingly well from the hallway into the apartments. "So how did you know the paparazzi wouldn't be there?" Having been surrounded by cameras for most of his life, Chad was generally able to ignore the media attention that seemed to perpetually follow them, but Sonny still found it unsettling. She thought it was sweet that he did make an effort to keep their time together private, like tonight.

"Sand gets in the cameras and causes problems," he shrugged. "Not to mention that reporters don't usually have time to change into appropriate clothing for that kind of thing. I'm sure there were a few freelancers around who figured the cash they'd get was worth the risk of damaging their equipment."

Sonny nodded thoughtfully. She'd learned a little about these freelancers and knew that many of them struggled to support families on what they could make off of celebrity pictures. They took risks salaried people wouldn't and were often ill-used by the high-profile targets they pursued, but having few marketable skills, they still believed it was their best shot at getting a decent income. Maybe it wasn't such a bad thing to throw a few of those hardworking photographers a bone.

She and Chad shared their second kiss and regretfully said goodbye. Sonny felt like she was floating as she opened the door.

"So how was it?" her mother asked. She was catching up by watching the newly released Season 4 DVD set of Mackenzie Falls, but she stopped the machine when her daughter entered. That looked like progress; she was able to shut it off in the middle of an episode!

"It was fantastic!" Sonny exclaimed. "He brought the most amazing food, and we swam together, and the sunset was…perfect."

"I'll bet it was," murmured her mother, leading Sonny to roll her eyes.

"I wish you wouldn't use that tone," she complained, feeling herself reddening, which made her a little angry at herself. _What's wrong with you?_ _You have nothing to be embarrassed about. It was just a kiss! Well, two kisses._

"I'm sorry, honey; it's just so exciting to see my only daughter falling for a great guy. I have to admit, I was worried when we first came out here that you'd focus so much on _So Random_ that you'd forget to have a social life."

"You really worried about that?" That was a new one.

"Well, yes, but I can see how wrong I was," her mom continued. "You've made friends with your entire cast, and now you're dating Chad Dylan Cooper. That must make you the envy of teenage girls across the country."

"I don't really think about it that way," Sonny replied, her mother's words bringing her up short. She wondered how many fangirls hated her because she'd taken the coveted spot at Chad's side. Setting the issue aside as unimportant, she continued the conversation. "Was Dad worried? About me not having a social life?"

"Are you kidding? For him, that was one of the selling points!"

Sonny grinned. As great as her father was, he nonetheless had the stereotypical tendency to be overprotective of his daughter. Still, she often missed him. She understood that he needed to stay in Wisconsin to tend to the family farm and her two brothers, but that didn't prevent her from wishing she could see him more often.

"He must be going nuts not being able to protect me," she mused. "I hope you're telling him that Chad and I are behaving ourselves."

"Of course," Mrs. Munroe gave her daughter a hard look. "You _are_, aren't you?"

"Of course!" Sonny echoed. She plopped down on the couch, debating what she was about to say. At last, she decided she was just bursting to tell _somebody_. "Actually, we just had our first kiss tonight."

"I wondered about that when you came in here like you were lighter than air. I'm glad you took your time with it."

"It was so worth it, Mom! It was wonderful!"

"I'm so happy for you!" They shared an impulsive hug.

"Thanks, Mom," said Sonny. "If you don't mind, I really think I need to wash this salt off me before I go to bed."

"Of course."

While in the shower, Sonny pondered the question of whether to call Tawni, and if she did, how much to tell her. Her female co-star had made Sonny promise to tell her everything about her relationship with Chad. That had, essentially, been her price for being "okay" with the situation. At the time, Sonny had been mentally crossing her fingers and promising _herself_ that she would make those decisions as they came. She'd also been almost positive that she would never, under any circumstances, tell Tawni absolutely _everything_.

Now, for the first time, Sonny was truly faced with one of these decisions. Should she tell Tawni or not? On the one hand, it would be nice to keep it more or less private for a little while. On the other hand, Tawni was bound to find out about the kiss eventually. Probably pretty soon, in fact, since it was likely that Sonny and Chad would begin sharing the occasional kiss at the studio. Sure, they preferred to keep most of their behavior in that setting completely professional, but they were a couple, and some overlap was inevitable. When they slipped up, if Tawni happened to catch them, she'd be upset that Sonny hadn't held up her end of the bargain. Not to mention that Sonny was not very comfortable with the idea of breaking a promise anyway, no matter how ill-advised she now believed that promise to be.

It seemed clear, therefore, that she had no choice, so the only question remaining was whether to call Tawni tonight or wait until morning. It really wasn't all that late, but Tawni loved her beauty sleep. Then again, the late call time tomorrow could mean that she'd stay up a bit longer than usual tonight.

Somehow, it just didn't feel right to tell Tawni before Lucy, Sonny decided. Lucy had been her best friend forever, and Sonny would feel like she was betraying all of those years if she called Tawni first. It was definitely too late to call Wisconsin on a weeknight, so that settled it. Sonny set the alarm for 5:00 in the morning, figuring she could go back to sleep after she'd shared her gossip.

Although excitement and reliving the evening kept her up for quite some time, exhaustion eventually won out, and she fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

When the alarm went off, far too soon for Sonny's taste, she looked at the clock and frowned.

_Why on earth did I set it so early? _She thought groggily to herself as she slapped it to turn it off. She lay back down and closed her eyes. Then, all it once, it came back to her – the ocean, the sunset, the decision. She sat bolt upright, dug out her phone, and hit the speed-dial. It was 7:00 in Wisconsin, so Lucy should be getting ready for school.

"Hi Lucy!" she said brightly as soon as she heard her best friend's voice. "I have something to tell you…"

* * *

Despite the early wake-up call (which she suspected her mother knew about but didn't mention), Sonny arrived at the studio in an incredibly good mood. That was a good thing, considering it was Taping Day, with Pizza Night to follow. She had no intention of missing any of it, and she owed it to her friends and cast-mates to be on top of her game.

Sonny decided to go to the dressing room first, to make sure her costumes for this week's sketches were arranged in order, ready to be taken to the set. Tawni and Zora were already there, Tawni applying her lipstick and Zora lounging in a chair, reviewing the script.

"Hello, ladies," Sonny greeted them cheerfully.

"Good morning, Sonny," Tawni responded, giving a smug look through the mirror. Sonny had called her about an hour earlier to fulfill her promise of dishing about her relationship with Chad, so she was no doubt enjoying the position of knowing more than anyone else and trying to figure out how best to use that to her advantage – or at least entertainment.

Zora popped up from her seat and stood with her balled fists on her hips, staring at Sonny in a way that made the older girl distinctly uncomfortable. After several seconds of this intense scrutiny, Zora nodded as though coming to an important decision. Then she flopped back into the chair with her script.

"So you finally got around to it, huh?" Zora said nonchalantly. Sonny felt her mouth open in shock, and she was going to accuse Tawni of spilling the beans when she noticed that the smug expression had completely dropped off of the blonde's face.

"You told her, too?" Tawni pouted. Now it was her turn to stand up and look at Sonny accusingly.

"What? No!"

"She didn't have to," Zora contributed, sounding bored yet with an undercurrent of evil genius in her tone. "It's written all over her face."

"But how did you…" Sonny began, wondering how she would have known this was the first kiss. Mid-sentence, however, it came to her. "You've been spying in the vents again, haven't you?" She couldn't help but flush at the thought that her private conversation with Chad the other day had been overheard. She added, to no one in particular, "Remind me never to discuss anything personal in this building."

"I'll remind you if you remind me," replied Tawni, still obviously in a huff. "_I_ was supposed to be the only one who knew."

"Oh, have your fun," Zora told her. "I'll pretend to be surprised when you lord it over the boys. It's not like I care."

"Just make sure I'm out of the room," Sonny pleaded. "I do _not_ need to be standing there while you all discuss my love life." She finally moved into the wardrobe area to complete her original task.

"What do you want me to do, schedule the scene?" Tawni called sarcastically after her.

"If that's what it takes."

"By the way, I think I've changed my mind about this whole thing," shouted Zora.

"Oh really?" asked Sonny suspiciously, poking her head out of the curtain.

"Yep. Anything that can make Chad Dylan Cooper this whipped is okay by me." She grinned while Tawni laughed uproariously. Sonny could think of no response, so she just ducked back out of sight, muttering to herself.

* * *

Author's Note: I'm making up Sonny's family. A lot of writers have her father either long dead or long skipped out, but Mrs. Munroe was wearing a wedding ring in Falling for the Falls, indicating that she's either currently married or recently widowed. Since Sonny hasn't shown any grief over the loss of her father, I'm going with the former. It makes sense that someone would have to stay and manage a business, family, etc. After all, there's no guarantee that Sonny's career will last, and you can't just pack up a farm.

Review responses:

Chloeand McKenzie: I did decide to use some of your ideas. I think your comment of having Sonny talk things over with her mom inspired me to continue this a little bit further.

iLoveRomance2010.: I know what you mean, and I tend to lean towards brevity myself, when it's possible and seems appropriate. However, I took so long to get back to the story that I forgot how I was going to wrap it up, and I got some ideas for how to continue. I don't think it'll be too much longer, but there's a bit more I want to address.


	5. The Earth Moves

Disclaimer: Sonny With a Chance belongs to Disney.

Author's Note: Yeah, I'm late again. Work has been really crazy and has carried over into my personal time. I know it's been done, but I decided to work an earthquake into this story.

**The Earth Moves**

The taping went extremely well. Sonny was feeling very good about herself, and that translated to an impressive performance. The crowd felt her energy and reflected it back, allowing the rest of the cast to share in her excellent mood. Marshall was almost beside himself with elation when they left the set.

"That was possibly the best So Random episode ever!" he enthused. "Keep this up, and I smell an Emmy!"

"What would an Emmy smell like?" asked Tawni, wrinkling her nose. Everyone ignored her as they went to change into their regular clothing.

"You're not missing Pizza Night again, are you?" Grady demanded of Sonny when they gathered in the Prop House to celebrate their success.

"Of course not!" she answered enthusiastically. She really wished that she'd remembered the night of her first date with Chad was Pizza Night. If she'd requested a different night, they might have avoided a lot of trouble. "This is definitely a night worth celebrating. Order me the usual."

"Wait – where are you going?" said Nico suspiciously.

"Off to see her boyfriend, of course," Zora responded carelessly, flopping onto the couch. "Not that much of a mystery."

"You should invite him," said Tawni suddenly. After a brief pause, during which all eyes turned toward her, the other four occupants of the room said "What?" in succession. Sitting down and checking the color on her nails, the blonde shrugged.

"Invite him to Pizza Night," she clarified. "Why not? If we're going to have to get used to him hanging around, we might as well start now."

"Well, okay then," said Sonny, deciding to leave before there were any further objections. There was a definite spring in her step as she tracked down Chad, eventually finding him at the Commissary.

"Hey there," she greeted him. "Hope you're hungry."

"Hey, Sonny. Why?"

"It's Pizza Night."

"Tscha, I know that. How did taping go?"

"It was fabulous!" she enthused. "And I'm inviting you!"

"Inviting me to what?"

"Pizza Night!"

"Yeah, can you believe it? Tawni suggested I invite you."

"That is amazing," Chad conceded. "But you know I—"

"You eat what we eat," Sonny interrupted decisively. "No special orders. Half an hour, in the Prop House." With that, she turned on her high heel and left, casting a glance and smile over her shoulder to soften the words.

* * *

Much to Chad's surprise, Pizza Night wasn't too bad. He didn't talk much, preferring to listen and get a handle on the group dynamic. He'd never paid much attention to the Randoms (well, maybe _one_ Random in particular over the past year), and it seemed prudent to know what he was getting into here. As much as Chad Dylan Cooper liked to talk about himself and have the focus of any audience upon him, he'd always made a point of coming into any new situation with his eyes and ears open. Whenever he'd walked onto a new set since he was about 8 years old, he'd paid attention to how the cast and crew related to each other. He'd learned early on that knowing things like the pecking order, personal differences, and romantic entanglements could help him to avoid trouble and forward his career.

Unlike a lot of other self-absorbed stars, Chad was always careful to treat the crew well. He was acutely aware that they were the ones he had to rely on to make him look good. The last thing he would ever do was offend his make-up artist, hair stylist, or costume designer, and it paid to stay on the good sides of the lighting, sound, and camera technicians as well. He was not only unfailingly polite to these people, he went out of his way to do extra favors when he could and slipped them tips now and then.

Thus it was that Chad sat on a barstool in the Prop House, surreptitiously picking pepperoni off of his pizza as he listened to the conversation swirling around him. As long as he didn't watch Zora or Grady eat, he found the experience tolerable, and he was able to gather a lot of potentially useful information.

Sonny, being the incredibly nice person she was (sometimes _too_ nice, in Chad's opinion), volunteered to stay behind and clean up. Chad decided to stay and help her, not wanting to leave her alone. He was sure she'd done this sort of thing many times before, but he appeared to have no control over the protectiveness he felt for her. The only thing he could do was try not to be too obvious about it.

When they were done, he offered to drive her home, again while realizing that she was perfectly capable of taking public transportation and had done so many times in the past year.

"Oh, that's not necessary," she tried to decline. "You've done enough already, and you live in the totally opposite direction."

"It's no trouble," he insisted. "In fact, I'd really like to extend our evening together, even if it's just to drive you home."

She looked like she was about to voice another objection when the room began to shake. Chad immediately recognized the onset of an earthquake. Sonny turned to him with panic in her eyes, and he knew instantly that he'd have to take charge of the situation.

"The doorway!" he exclaimed, taking his girlfriend by the elbow and practically pulling her in the proper direction. Fortunately, they'd been on their way out, so they were only a couple of steps away from the door. Gently but firmly, Chad pushed Sonny into a sitting position in the doorframe and interlocked her hands above her head. He then took a mirroring position opposite her. It was a little bit cramped because his legs were longer than hers, but that was okay. They were together and in the safest place possible.

The pair sat there in silence while things fell off the walls (including, Chad noted with some satisfaction, the framed picture of him vomiting water onto Sonny – maybe he could manage to make that disappear permanently) and furniture shifted. The power flickered and went out, eliciting a tiny shriek from Sonny, but the studio had a generator, so it was only a few seconds before the emergency lighting came on.

When the shaking stopped, Sonny began to move, but Chad reached over and prevented her.

"There's usually aftershocks," he said by way of explanation. She nodded and bent her head down again. No sooner had she done so than another series of shock waves rocked the studio. To keep his mind occupied, Chad rehearsed his lines for next week's episode.

They held their positions until the aftershocks were just small tremors. Chad carefully unfolded himself, stood up, and reached a hand down to Sonny.

"Is it over?" she squeaked, looking fearfully up at him.

"Yeah, it's over," he assured her, pulling her to her feet. She moved almost immediately toward him, putting her arms around him. He responded instinctively, folding her into an embrace and holding her close. The ground had stopped shaking, but she was continuing to tremble. He found himself oddly divided about that. On the one hand, he felt awful that she was so scared. On the other hand, it was very nice to have her so close, to feel that she relied on him for something.

"It's okay. You're fine," he murmured into her hair. Gradually, she calmed, her breathing returning to normal. She pulled back a little and heaved a deep sigh.

"Well, I'm glad those don't happen very often," she remarked, now looking a little sheepish about her fright. In Chad's opinion, it was nothing to be ashamed of. Earthquakes were really scary things, especially if you'd never been through one before.

"Mom!" Sonny exclaimed before he could come up with something reassuring to say. "I've got to call my mom and make sure she's okay." She slid out of Chad's grasp, and he reluctantly let her go. While she dug out her phone, he called his parents as well. He was pretty sure they were fine, but Sonny had a way of reminding him of things like familial responsibility.

When she was assured that her mother had made it through the earthquake all right, Sonny then had to call her cast, so Chad decided to clean up the Prop House. His first target was the worst photograph ever taken of him. He knew he couldn't just abscond with it now, at least not without Sonny's approval.

Narrowing his eyes, Chad looked speculatively at his girlfriend. He gingerly picked up the frame and saw that the glass was broken – not enough to leave sharp pieces all over, but enough to distort the picture and make it almost acceptable to look at. Maybe, he thought, this would give him an adequate excuse to throw the darn thing away, and he thought it was just possible that Sonny would support him in that. Setting the distasteful object aside for now, he moved to the mini-fridge, out of which several bottles and cans had tipped. Replacing them was the work of a few moments, and he moved on to adjusting wall decorations and righting props that had fallen over.

Finally, Sonny finished her check-up phone calls and helped with the reorganization. Their dressing rooms were probably disasters as well, but neither of them felt much like tackling that project at this point. However, Chad did decide it was time to broach the subject that had been on his mind since the cleanup started. He picked up the framed photo and showed her the damage.

"Would it break your heart if this just sort of disappeared in the aftermath of the earthquake?" he asked plaintively, giving her his most pleading look. A slow smile spread across her face, with a conspiratorial edge to it.

"Not at all," she answered emphatically. "Did you have something special in mind?"

"I was thinking it had a date with a fireplace."

"Ooh, cozy," Sonny said, and there was something in her voice and expression that gave Chad pause. He'd never thought about it that way.

"Would you like to help me burn it?" he offered, suddenly really liking the idea of curling up beside her in front of a fire and watching the sad reminder of their botched first date go up in flames. In Southern California, fireplaces tended to be mostly decorative, but he happened to have one at his home that he thought would do the job.

"Absolutely," she confirmed.

"Great!" Chad responded, strangely happy that he wouldn't have to take care of this solemn duty alone. "But we'll have to set a date soon. I can't stand to have it around for long."

"This weekend's good for me."

"Good. Now, let's get you home before anything else happens."

"Good idea." With that, they were on their way at last.

* * *

Author's Note: From what we've seen of Chad's eating habits, I reached the conclusion that he must be a picky eater and careful about his diet. Therefore, I couldn't imagine him willingly eating processed meats.

Review responses:

Sweetheart446: No, that wasn't it, although it might seem like it because of the month that elapsed between updates. I think I will wrap this up in the next chapter.

WolfLover314: I'm glad you liked my idea of having Mr. Munroe in the picture somewhere, and if you are still reading this, thank you for your patience!

Chloeand McKenzie: I think you're right about Sonny's relationship with her mom. Glad you enjoyed the kiss and aftermath. I hope you're still with me.


	6. Three Little Words

Disclaimer: Sonny With a Chance belongs to Disney.

Author's Note: So, I'm using the story title as the title of the last chapter. See what I did there?:) I've had this chapter written for several days, but I had trouble with ending it. Sorry it's short, but anyway, enjoy!

**Three Little Words**

It was a quiet ride back to Sonny's apartment. She still felt a little dazed by the whole earthquake experience, and she was sort of glad it was dark so she didn't have to see any damage that might have been done. As it was, there seemed to be flashing lights and sirens in every direction, and she was sure that the police, fire, and medical people of the area would be putting in some overtime tonight. She was very glad that Chad was driving her home because she wasn't sure she could have concentrated on the bus changes if she were on her own.

"It's going to be okay," he said suddenly, almost as if he could read her mind. Then again, she supposed it wasn't much of a mystery what she must be thinking about.

"How do you know?"

"Everything here is built with earthquakes in mind. They're not the disasters you see in the movies."

Somehow, hearing Chad Dylan Cooper sound disparaging about his own industry made Sonny feel a little bit better. Yes, there were flashing lights, but given the local population density and crime rate, those could probably be seen on any given night in Los Angeles. While no preparations could be perfect, she believed that the damage and injuries would be much reduced from what they would have been in the past.

"How did you know what to do?" she asked after a pause.

"What?" Chad sounded like she'd startled him out of his thoughts.

"How did you know what to do in an earthquake?" she clarified. He shrugged a little self-deprecatingly – an unaccustomed gesture for him.

"You don't grow up in California without learning a little about earthquakes."

"Oh." Sonny supposed that was true. Just as she'd grown up learning about the hazards of undertows and tornadoes, Californians learned about earthquakes. She suddenly felt the need to keep talking, though. "Now that I think about, I guess I have heard that doorways are the safest place to be."

"Most structurally sound part of any building," he agreed, once again surprising her with his knowledge. The young man who hated reading and coasted through their mandatory classes (his parents had insisted upon him getting a diploma, even though he had no doubts about being able to earn a living without it) could speak quite intelligently about this topic.

"There's no way I would have remembered that in a crisis, though," said Sonny, wanting to give credit where credit was due. "Thanks a lot for helping me out."

"You're my lady," he responded. "It's my responsibility to take care of you." From another person, that might have sounded patronizing and demeaning, but from him, Sonny found it kind of sweet. As though realizing that what he'd said seemed a little overdone, he added, "It's a leading man's job, you know."

Sonny felt herself smiling. Trust a lifelong actor to compare any life situation with a prepared script. Still, his attitude reassured her, like things were returning to normal.

"This wasn't your first earthquake, was it?" she voiced the sudden thought.

"No. It was the third that I can remember, not counting the little ones you hardly feel. I think there was another one when I was a baby."

"What about the hands on the neck thing?" she asked then. "I've never heard of that. What was that about?"

"Keeps your neck stabilized so your spine doesn't get injured when everything's shaking. The neck can be really delicate."

"I guess that makes sense." She had an aunt who'd slipped a disk in her neck vertebrae just from a simple rear-ending at a stoplight. How much more damage could a good-sized earthquake do?

"You gonna be all right?" he demanded as he parked in front of her building. There was real concern in his voice and expression.

"Yes, I'll be fine."

"I really should walk you to your door," he offered, but she shook her head and laughed lightly.

"You're not allowed to park here," she pointed out. "I told you, I'm fine. I'm pretty glad I have tomorrow off, though."

"Make sure you get your rest."

"I will." Sonny paused, her hand on the door handle. Chad really had been impressive tonight. She turned back to look him straight in the eyes. "Maybe this is just the earthquake talking, but…I think I love you back." Her heart was pounding furiously against her ribs as she awaited his response, and she finally thought she understood how he must have felt after blurting those words out a few days ago. His mouth stretched into a goofy grin.

"I'll take it," Chad declared, leaning in for a good-night kiss that seemed even better than the one on the beach. "Good night, m'lady."

"Good night, Chad." Afraid that if she lingered any longer, she'd manage to find a way to mess up the moment, Sonny fled out of the car and up to the door of her building. Another long talk with her mom was definitely in order, accompanied by a warm beverage and followed by a good night's sleep.

It wasn't until Sonny got all the way upstairs that she realized that Chad hadn't said the three words to her again, even though she had. Upon reflection, though, she decided that was okay. She had said that it might have been just a reaction to the earthquake, and he might not want to burden her further until she said it not under stress. Besides, "I love you" was a phrase that should never be overused. She was fine with them not using it often, as long as they meant it when they did.

With that, she entered her apartment, grateful to be home at last.

* * *

Review responses:

Sweetheart446: Actually, if you search Earthquake and go to the Sonny With a Chance stories, there are a few. Regardless of the originality or lack thereof, I'm glad you enjoyed it.

HorseLover314: Thanks! I hope 3 weeks wasn't too long to wait.


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